Capybara
At over a metre in length and weighing as much as an adult human, the capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) is the largest rodent in the world. A stocky, somewhat pig-like animal, it is characterised by a large, blunt head, heavy muzzle, short, robust legs and rudimentary tail. The hair is coarse and sparse, and varies in colour between dark brown, reddish and yellowish brown, occasionally with some black on the face, the outer surface of the limbs, and on the rump. The capybara shows a number of adaptations to a partly aquatic lifestyle. It is able to swim with only the nostrils, eyes and short, rounded ears protruding out of the water, as they are placed high on the head, and the body contains a large amount of fatty tissue, giving it a neutral buoyancy in water. The feet are also partially webbed. Each of the forefeet has four toes, while the hindfeet have only three, and each toe bears a strong, hoof-like claw. The capybara often sits on its haunches like a dog, but, unlike many other rodents, is unable to hold food in its forefeet. The male capybara can be distinguished from the female by the obvious, highly developed scent gland on top of the snout. Known as a morillo, this dark, naked, raised area secrete a copious white, sticky fluid, thought to be involved in signalling dominance status. In addition to using scent, the capybara also communicates through a variety of vocalisations, including growls, whinnies, alarm barks, whistles, and a constant guttural purr emitted by the infant. This species is distinguished from the lesser capybara,Hydrochoerus isthmius, by its larger size, although there is some confusion over the distributional boundaries of these species Gallery capybara2.jpg CapybaraImage.JPG Capybara (Rio 2).jpg capybara-the-wild-thornberrys-67.8.jpg IMG 5709.PNG IMG 7095.PNG Capybara-kemono-friends.jpg Zoboomafoo Capybarra.png GoDiegoGo Capybara.jpeg JEL Cappybarra.png Okapis Meerkats African Elephants Wildebeest Hyraxes Bonobos Chimpanzees Gorillas Orangutans African Penguins Gerenuks Secretary Birds Cheetahs Nile Crocodiles Nile Hippopotamuses Black Rhinoceroses White Rhinoceroses Ostriches.jpg See Also * Lesser Capybara Category:Characters Category:Animals Category:South American Animals Category:Rodents Category:Rio Animals Category:Herbivores Category:The Wild Thornberrys Animals Category:The Octonauts Animals Category:Spyro Animals Category:Kolmården Wildlife Park Animals Category:Prope Animals Category:ZooParc de Beauval Animals Category:Kemono Friends Animals Category:Reid Park Zoo Animals Category:Go Diego Go Animals Category:Denver Zoo Animals Category:San Diego Zoo Animals Category:Elmwood Park Zoo Animals Category:Lincoln Park Zoo Animals Category:Akron Zoo Animals Category:Cincinnati Zoo Animals Category:Disney's Animal Kingdom Animals‎ Category:Saint Louis Zoo Animals Category:Pittsburgh Zoo Animals Category:San Francisco Zoo Animals Category:Henry Vilas Zoo Animals Category:Philadelphia Zoo Animals Category:Austin Zoo Animals Category:Cleveland Metroparks Zoo Animals Category:Cameron Park Zoo Animals Category:Memphis Zoo Animals Category:San Antonio Zoo Animals Category:Toronto Zoo Animals Category:Jacksonville Zoo Animals Category:Zoboomafoo Animals Category:Turtle Back Zoo Animals Category:Baton Rouge Zoo Animals Category:Hattiesburg Zoo Animals Category:Palm Beach Zoo Animals Category:Gators & Friends Animals Category:Vienna Zoo Animals Category:Exmoor Zoo Animals Category:Happy Hollow Park & Zoo Animals Category:Jose and the Lion Gods Animals Category:Little Rock Zoo Animals Category:Dora the Explorer Animals Category:Kimba the White Lion Animals Category:Cabela's Dangerous Hunts 2009 Animals Category:Wildwood Wildlife Park Animals Category:Kalahari Animals Category:Extreme Animals Dictionary Animals Category:Big and Little Animals Category:Can an Aardvark Bark Animals Category:Buzzy the Knowledge Bug Series Animals Category:Bernard Stonehouse Animals Category:Protected Animals Category:Predator VS Prey Animals Category:Age of Empires Animals Category:Rio 2 Animals